❓ Mr Hort questions the Premier about lenient sentences due to prison overcrowding and understaffing, disputing the Premier's disagreement with court assessments. The Premier outlines government actions to address prison pressures.
AnsweredQoN 658Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Prisons—Population
658. ������ Mr Adam Hort to
the Premier:
I refer to three
recent cases in which, due to prison overcrowding and understaffing, the courts
have given lenient sentences to a drug trafficker, a paedophile and a violent
carjacker and the Premier's comments yesterday that he does not accept the
courts' assessment of our prisons' conditions.
(1)
What advice did the Premier rely on to dispute what the courts and the
Inspector of Custodial Services are saying?
(2)
What does the Premier say to victims of crime who see offenders sentenced to
lenient jail terms due to his government's mismanagement of our prison system?
658. ������ Mr Adam Hort to
the Premier:
I refer to three
recent cases in which, due to prison overcrowding and understaffing, the courts
have given lenient sentences to a drug trafficker, a paedophile and a violent
carjacker and the Premier's comments yesterday that he does not accept the
courts' assessment of our prisons' conditions.
(1)
What advice did the Premier rely on to dispute what the courts and the
Inspector of Custodial Services are saying?
(2)
What does the Premier say to victims of crime who see offenders sentenced to
lenient jail terms due to his government's mismanagement of our prison system?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
I thank the member for the question. WA is currently experiencing significant
population increases, and between 2016 and 2024 our population grew by 17%.
This growth, as well as growth in the number of family and domestic violence
and other offenders being locked up, means our prisons are increasingly under
pressure. The Commissioner of Corrective Services is addressing this through
short-term controls and long-term planning. We are continuing with the
Casuarina Prison expansion stage 2, which will bring more than 1,000 additional
beds online through internal expansions.
Mr Adam Hort interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Kalamunda!
Mr Roger Cook: We have allocated $4.7 million for
long-term custodial planning to commence planning to expand Acacia and Casuarina
Prisons. We have established the Hakea Safer Custody Taskforce to immediately
implement actions that improve conditions at Hakea Prison, and we are training
prison officers at a record rate. We are responding to the pressures on our
prison population through personnel, long-term planning and immediate
responses. We expect our judiciary to join the rest of the community in keeping
our community safe.
I thank the member for the question. WA is currently experiencing significant
population increases, and between 2016 and 2024 our population grew by 17%.
This growth, as well as growth in the number of family and domestic violence
and other offenders being locked up, means our prisons are increasingly under
pressure. The Commissioner of Corrective Services is addressing this through
short-term controls and long-term planning. We are continuing with the
Casuarina Prison expansion stage 2, which will bring more than 1,000 additional
beds online through internal expansions.
Mr Adam Hort interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Kalamunda!
Mr Roger Cook: We have allocated $4.7 million for
long-term custodial planning to commence planning to expand Acacia and Casuarina
Prisons. We have established the Hakea Safer Custody Taskforce to immediately
implement actions that improve conditions at Hakea Prison, and we are training
prison officers at a record rate. We are responding to the pressures on our
prison population through personnel, long-term planning and immediate
responses. We expect our judiciary to join the rest of the community in keeping
our community safe.
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